Kenya Revenue Authority Risper Simiyu , acting commissioner general had a difficult time explaining and tabling the documents supporting the clearance of the controversy surrounding the release of condemned brown sugar from government custody has sucked in senior government officials and politicians before the Parliamentary investment committee for commercial affairs and energy.
In what appears to have been a well-coordinated plan to enrich a few individuals through the 20,000 50kg bags of sugar scam, 27 officials under investigation have been suspended amid claims that the real architect is still free.
According to insiders, two politicians from Central Kenya and two senior government officials are said to have orchestrated the release of the consignment, which had been flagged by the Kenya Bureau of Standards (Kebs) in 2018 for missing expiry dates.
During the tabling of documents, the chairperson of the committee Hon. David Pkosing tasked the commissioner general to explain how the sugar disappeared but she declined to comment on the issue saying that the information is in the public domain and the matter is under investigation by directive authorities.
“Chair I will not be able to comment actually what is in the public domain. And you’ll allow me to do that because the matter is under investigation or didn’t want to prejudice or put my thoughts to where it could be, of course, and in the form of alarm.” Risper Simiyu, Acting Commissioner General alludes.
Before the committee, Ag. Nancy gave the background of the process of events on how the process is done.
“But in answering your question, the institution responsible for determining whether a product is fit for human consumption. It seems to me if it’s condemned by KEBS, then it is destroyed.” Risper Simiyu, Acting Commissioner General explains.
Nancy further explains that;
“Now the person who determines the mode of destruction and where it will be destroyed now is NEMA. So if that happened, then it means KRA customs does not release the goods based on the determination by KEBS based on completion by NEMA on how and where that it is displayed.”
The committee agreed that it’s a weighty issue to discuss tasking the auditor general to do a thorough audit query over the same issue and submit it before the committee. Chairman Hon. Pkosing ruled that the issue should be dealt with by finding an amicable way of addressing the whole saga saying that they are getting explanatory lacking specifics.
Finally, Hon Pkosing blatantly said that KRA has been badly exposed and soon they will table the documents before the committee and the public asks the KRA team to redeem themselves by submitting the right information before the right authorities.
